British Family Vow Never to Return to Thailand after Gang Beating

A picture showing Mrs Owen with members of the Thai tourist board while recovering has been released to the local media, showing her badly damaged face.

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HUA HIN -Â Lewis Owen 43, beaten unconscious in a savage attack by vicious thugs in Thailand along with his elderly parents has told reporters that they never to return to the country.

Lewis told the press that his mum and dad are on the mend so it is all okay. Dad had six stitches in his forehead and there is some heavy bruising and he had two black eyes.

They were a bit worried about my mum but she is okay. The swelling was not going down on her brain but they have done some operations.

The horrifying footage shows the moment Mr.Lewis is pushed to the ground, while his 65-year-old wife tries to reason with them is punched in the face.

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The family were on a month-long holiday in Thailand when their dream trip turned into a nightmare, after they were viciously attacked by a gang of drunken thugs.

A Western â€œgood Samaritanâ€ who tried to come to their help was punched in the face and said that he will need cosmetic dental work for his injuries.

He said that local thugs were â€œPrimedâ€ to attack Western tourists after a long day of alcohol-fuelled festivities involving staged water fights.

Thai police Col Chaiyakorn Siradecho said four men had been arrested and would be charged with grievous bodily harm.

A spokesman for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said â€œif found guilty, the perpetrators of this incident will face full justice under Thai law.

â€œThe Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to express our deepest sorrow to the family who were subjected to the assault â€¦ We hope that you recover from your injuries and make a swift and full recovery.

TAT would like to assure international travellers that this was an isolated incident, not targeted on any group of foreign tourists in particular. The situation was exacerbated by alcohol.â€

Prior to the start of Songkran the British embassy had begun a safety campaign to make sure tourists were aware of the dangers during the Songkran festival.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: â€œOur staff have been in contact with the family to offer assistance and will remain in contact with the local authorities.â€